Limberlost: Rising, Rebuilding, and Ready to Break Through

Limberlost: Rising, Rebuilding, and Ready to Break Through

Limberlost is a band built on grit, reinvention, and unapologetic ambition. Fresh off a European run with Yngwie Malmsteen and gearing up for the release of their new EP Villain, the group stands at a pivotal moment—one shaped by new members, sharpened songwriting, and a relentless DIY spirit. Bassist Steve Unger brings decades of road tested experience from Metal Church and Autograph, while Brittany Lauren and Mike Burt continue steering the band’s creative fire. With major festival dates ahead and a powerful new record on the horizon, Limberlost is poised for their biggest leap yet.

Introduce yourself — what do you do in Limberlost?
Steve: I’m Steve Unger. I play bass and pretty much serve as the cool guy in the band. They needed one of those.

Mike: I’m Mike Burt. I play drums, handle a lot of the administrative duties, and basically make Steve look good.

Brittany: I’m Brittany. I’m one of the singers, I write a lot of the songs, and I do much of the artwork.

You have a new EP coming later this year called Villain. What inspired that title? We all feel like villains sometimes.
Brittany: Exactly. Villain is really a continuation of our last album, Beautiful Scars, which was about owning the things that have happened to you and learning to love your story. Villain takes that idea further — it’s about owning who you are in other people’s stories too. Sometimes people cast you as the villain, especially in the music industry. You can disagree on something small and suddenly you’re the “bad guy.” The title track came from that idea, and the whole EP explores stepping into the world, into community, and embracing who you are. We’ve got a cover on it and a couple of new songs we’re excited about.

You re-recorded one of your earlier songs — “Babylon.” What inspired that song, and why a Redux version?
Mike: “Babylon” was written back in 2015, and we first released it in 2017. It started as a social commentary, and what’s interesting is how timeless it turned out to be — maybe even more relevant now than when I wrote it. Over the years, people kept telling us it was the song we should be pushing, but like a lot of bands, we always focused on the newest material. So “Babylon” never really got the PR or radio attention it deserved.

When we started putting the new EP together, we realized it was the perfect time to revisit it. We have new players, a more evolved sound, and we wanted to bring the song into that space. Once we rebuilt it and sent it to our radio team, they immediately said, “That’s the one.” It kind of fulfilled its own destiny.

One of the standout tracks on Beautiful Scars is “Alien.” What’s the story behind that one?
Brittany: I went down the alien rabbit hole — documentaries, books, all of it. I read a book called Alien Interview, which sparked the idea. But the song evolved into something deeper: a metaphor for dysmorphia and feeling out of place in your own skin. Feeling “alien” can mean a lot of things, and the song touches on that.

Mike: We even got to meet the Ancient Aliens guys. We pitched the song to them, so who knows — maybe it’ll end up on their show someday.

What can someone expect from a live Limberlost show?
Steve: Hopefully you’ll find out real soon. Lots of energy, lots of power. We work hard to make the live show sound as close to the album as possible — without using tracks.

We’ve got Tony, our wizard on keyboards — I call him Beaker — covering everything most bands would run on tracks. I’m really proud of that. If you can put it on an album, you should be able to reproduce it live, and we do everything we can to make that happen.

What was it like touring with Yngwie Malmsteen? You hear so many interesting stories about him.
Mike: They’re probably all true.

Brittany: It was a blast. All the shows were sold out, and we got to play some incredible venues. As Mike likes to say, it’s rare to go to Europe on the back of a titan like that and experience everything that comes with it.

We didn’t really get to meet Yngwie — he heard us, and that was about the extent of it — but we spent a lot of time with his band. They were amazing people, and we ended up becoming real friends. There’s a lasting connection there. Overall, it was a great time.

Have you played in the Los Angeles area, or do you plan to?
Mike: Yeah. Steve’s been down there with other acts, but as Limberlost we’ve played The Whisky twice, and we did a rooftop NAMM jam with Roni Lee one year. That’s about it so far, but we definitely plan on getting back. We’ve got a lot of connections in that area.

Paul Crosby of Saliva — what’s it been like working with him?
Brittany: It’s been great. We’ve actually become better friends with Paul than just having him as a manager. He calls us for help with other projects — I do graphic art for some of his bands, Mike helps out, he’s even babysat my kids.

Paul’s one of the rare people in this industry who’s the real deal. He puts his money where his mouth is, gives you straight information, and doesn’t feed you BS. We’ve been really lucky to connect with him.

Steve, how did you end up in Limberlost?
Steve: I’ve known these guys for 10 or 12 years. My son Devon — who’s now our guitarist — and I had done shows with Limberlost through our band Sin Circus. We played together around Tacoma and Seattle, and even in Sturgis. I’d even done a couple cameos in their videos before I joined.

After they got back from Europe, they split with some members and needed to rebuild. Mike reached out asking if I knew any bassists or guitarists. I was busy, but I said, “Send me what you’re working on.” He sent the Beautiful Scars tracks, and I thought, This is really good.

They were actually interested in my son before me — they figured they’d find a guitarist first. So I sent the music to Devon, and he goes, “Who the hell is this? This is killer.” I told him it was the new Limberlost material and that they were looking for a guitarist and bassist. He said, “This is Grammy level stuff. We should do it.” I agreed.

So I called Mike back and said, “I think I found your bass player and your guitar player.” He grabbed a pen and paper, and I told him he didn’t need it — he was already talking to one of them. He told me to shut up.

They came up, we rehearsed for a few weeks, then hit the road. That sealed it. Now we’re releasing new material, things are going great, and I’m excited for what’s coming this summer. Let’s see where it goes.

Steve, when you look back on your work with Metal Church, what do you think of it now?
Steve: I can’t say anything bad about Metal Church. It was an amazing experience. I loved being in the band, I loved the guys, and the fans are incredible.

When I joined in 2003, it always sucks being the new guy — you’ve got people in the back with their arms crossed going, “Hmm… okay, he’s not that bad.” But after 23 years, I think I earned my place. We toured the world, met great people, played great shows, made good money, and the band opened doors for opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s a bummer that it’s over, but I wish them the best. They’re doing their thing, and I’m doing mine now.

And what was it like being in Autograph for those couple of years?
Steve: Autograph was awesome. They were one of my favorite bands growing up — actually the third band I ever saw live. First was Elvis Presley, second was Y&T, and third was Autograph.

I recorded an album in France with Jimi Bell — not at the same time, but we both played on it. When Randy passed away, they had just released a new album and felt they needed to tour it. Nobody wants to join a band because someone died — those are huge shoes to fill — and some fans were accepting while others weren’t. But the band had to continue. I took the opportunity, and we did some great shows. The harmony vocals the four of us could pull off were insane. They ran a tight ship too — flights booked, transportation waiting, hotels lined up, full backline ready. I’d walk in, plug in, do a 30 minute soundcheck, play the show, and we were off to the next one. It’s a bummer that it’s on the back burner now, but here I am in Limberlost.

Since Steve shared his first concerts, what were yours?
Mike: I’m the elder statesman here, so I’ve seen some cool ones. One of my first concerts was when Led Zeppelin cracked the Kingdome in Seattle — ’76 or ’77. Growing up in Seattle was great because we had a radio station that did Rising Star concerts. You could go to the Paramount for a dollar and see Pat Benatar, Ratt, AC/DC, Angel City — tons of bands came through. I saw the Scorpions early on — three or four times — and they made a huge impression. But the first band that really blew my mind was Paul Revere & the Raiders. They were a machine: choreographed, perfect vocals, tight musicianship. That show stuck with me.

Brittany, what about you?
Brittany: Looking back, my first concerts were actually my mom’s. She was a singer in a big cover band here in Arizona, so I grew up watching her perform. After that, I didn’t go to many concerts for a while because I was getting my degree and was deep in the classical world. When I came back to concerts, it was mostly ones I was performing in.

These days, the concerts I remember most are the ones we’ve played or the ones I’ve gotten to see backstage — like Third Eye Blind recently. I grew up loving Creed and never got to see them, but I did get to watch Scott Stapp from the side of the stage, which was surreal. So when you ask my “first” concert, it’s hard to pinpoint — the memories that stand out now are all tied to what we’ve done with Limberlost.

What do you hope the rest of 2026 brings for you and for Limberlost?
Mike: We’re at that point where we need to make the next big jump, and we’re doing everything we can to make it happen. We’ve got some great summer shows coming up. One of the big ones is Rock the Locks in Oregon. Last year we were on a side stage — this year we’re opening the main stage on Saturday, September 26th.

They’ve announced a few names — Daughtry, Dorothy, Gunshine, Godsmack, The Rockett Mafia — and there are some huge ones coming that I can’t say yet. But it’s going to be a killer lineup.

Brittany: We’ve got a lot happening. One of the biggest challenges for an independent band is that we do everything ourselves — booking, funding, management, all of it. But we’ve got big things on the horizon, and I think 2026 is going to be our year. We have an amazing album coming out with amazing songs, and you’ll be seeing a lot of Limberlost.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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